The History of Salsa Dancing
Salsa – The music originated from Cuba in the early 1930′s. Its roots come from various African rhythms and the traditional Cuban music “Son”. There are many different styles of salsa dance that are influenced by their respective regions. What makes the salsa dance unique is its ability to absorb the many steps and turns from other dances such as the mambo, cumbia, hustle, swing, jazz, and other local dances. Uniting the all styles of salsa despite these differences is an underlying rhythmic frame established by the clave, a pair of smooth wooden cylindrical blocks. The salsa beat is formed when they are banged together enthusiastically in a sinuous 1-2-3 phrase. Everyone who dances salsa obeys the beat of the clave. As the famous veteran conga player Joe Cuba once said, “the Clave makes the world go round.”
Since its birth, this Afro-Cuban rhythm has traveled throughout Latin America with major influences coming from both Puerto Rico and Columbia. Salsa was later brought to the United States with the Latino immigration to big cities such as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. With its sensual style and flashy turns, it is crossing cultural barriers and sweeping the nation from coast to coast.
Merengue – This is the national dance of the Dominican Republic. It was born in the El Cibao region of the Dominican Republic. The merengue dance originated from the African slaves whom were brought to the island by the Spanish in order to harvest sugar cane. They were chained together and, out of necessity, were forced to drag one leg as they cut sugar to the beat of drums. Merengue is one of the easiest dances to learn! Its rhythm is formed by many distinct instruments establishing a unique sound and a four beat structure. Ever present in the music is the double-headed drum, the tambora, and the famous metal-grater, the güira. Like salsa, the Merengue is extremely cross-culturally popular. In Latin America, Merengue tops salsa by selling four times more albums!!
Cumbia – It began near the end of the 17th century as the local dance music of the Black community on the north coast of Colombia. It is a mixture of the different rhythms from African, Hispanic, and indigenous tribes. Cumbia is symbolic of the tropical atmosphere and is the foundations from which other tropical rhythms have originated. The dance is presented more commonly as a walk with a distinct natural circular movement. The steps are anchored around a back basic with a kick or tap on the first beat and the turns are executed on the second beat after a “wind-up” movement. This style of dance is dominant throughout Central and South America.
Cha-Cha-Cha – Emerged in the early 1950’s by a couple of renegade violinists named Enrique Jorrin and Felix Reyna. They both joined a group called Orquestra America and they developed a new rhythm by slowing down the blistering fast mambo beat. When the dancers got a hold of this new rhythm, they combined mambo steps with the unique 4/4 beat and the cha-cha-cha was born. This exciting American-born dance originated in the traditional ballroom, but is now quietly making its way into the nightclub scene.
Bachata – Originated from the Dominican Republic. Bachata has a distinct sound composed of flamenco style guitar strokes mixed with Spanish and African rhythms. The music evolved from the guitar-led folk groups of the Cuban son and the bolero. The Bachata is almost always a story about a heartbreak. It was considered the music of the lower classes and was born from the poor and uneducated. In the beginning, Bachata was shunned by many upper-class Dominicans, who considered the music vulgar and worthless. However, through the efforts of singer/composer Juan Luis Guerra, Bachata’s popularity became a success in the 1980′s. The dance is composed of four steps with the last step a kick or a hop depending upon the dancer’s preference. The man holds the woman very close to his body and guides her to his beat. Today, the music is a cultural expression of the Dominican Republic second to Merengue and is extremely popular in the Latin nightclubs.
Cuban Casino Rueda – Originated in Cuba in the early 1950’s and came into the U.S. with the Cuban emigration. Rueda originated as a dance done primarily amongst the poor, black Cubans who could not afford to belong to the social clubs (aka casinos) found in the cities. The emergence of Rueda outside of Cuba began in the late 1980′s in a famous Miami restaurant called the Starfish. There, it was perfected and became Miami’s most dominant salsa dance style. Popularity of the Cuban Casino Rueda began when it was featured in the hit movie, “Dance With Me”. Since then, it has caught on like wildfire spreading throughout different salsa communities in the U.S. including New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. “Rueda” means wheel and this salsa dance style is unique as it is composed of the same footwork, but two or more couples dance together in a circle. The leader of the group gives out instructions or “calls” by yelling or by hand signals and the dancers respond simultaneously by rapidly exchanging partners or using numerous complicated turn patterns.
